Les Paul Ultra Review

While the Ultra has a narrower nut, body contouring and a fast-playing mahogany neck, ideal for smaller guitarists, it still provides the warm punch of two Alnico humbuckers running on angry. Heavy rock just got a whole lot lighter.

Les Paul Ultra
Reviewed by:
PuNk_rOcKeR969, on june 05, 2006 12 of 14 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 500

Purchased from: Rainbow Music

Features: Well, it came with Tune-O-Matic bridge, grover tuners, there are 22 frets and the neck was I nice size for my hands. The finish was beautiful, everyone that looks at it says 'Wow, that is a nice looking guitar.' It is a flame top, mahogany body, rosewood fretboard with trapezoid inlays. It has 2 Alnico classic/hot pickups which make it have a great tone. Has the 3-way selector and 2 tone and 2 volume controls. One nice feature I like is the semi-hollow body making it only 5-6 pounds it is very light compared to other Les Pauls. // 10

Sound: I play anything from slow ballad type music to to a heavy rock type music and it hangs in there perfectly. I have a Peavy Rage and a RP200 effects pedal and they work just fine. It has a amazing tone it is really rich and full sounding but if you need to use it distoted it makes that sound good too. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The action was perfect except it has a ringing on the low E string but it may just be the strings. The pickups for me were perfect. I myself have found no flaws yet on this guitar. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I think that if you needed to gig this guitar it would last most definatly. The hardware seems like it would last. As for the strap buttons I myself will be upgrading to strap locking ones because it makes me feel more safer but yeah the strap buttons were fine. Yeah I would gig it without a backup and the finishing I think would last along time. // 10

Overall Impression: This guitar is amazing and is such a joy to play. I would def still use this guitar if I would get another guitar. I chose this because of its amazing look and how light it is. It is only 5-6 pounds and would be very light to gig with. If this guitar was stolen I would most definatly go get another one because I love it so much. // 10

Les Paul Ultra
Reviewed by:
GuitarRocker200, on january 08, 2007 2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 793.8

Purchased from: Piens

Sound: My main kind of music is rock, emo and punk. And I must say it suits those styles very well! I was gonna change the pickups with some seymour duncans but for the time being I'm gonne leave the stock ones in, they sound really great. I drive it thru a Hughes And Kettner Matrix 100. It has a very nice clean sound when using the treble pickup and a warm full sound using the bridge pickup. Kick in the distortion and you'll be blown away. Screaming solo's, mindblazing riffs. This little workhorse can take it. The hollow spacing in the body really adds some body to the sound. It makes it easier to feedback. This little guitar sounds like a 3000 Euro Gibson! // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The setup was really good but could use some fine tuning, this was all taken care of by the people from Piens. They know they're guitars! The action is perfect, no deadspots what'soever. The guitar top is perfect, there are no flaws and believe me I've looked carefully. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I've bought this guitar as a backup for my LTD EC-400AT, but know I'm using the Les Paul as my main guitar on stage. It's really well suited for Live use ans I'e never needed a backup (but I still bring it you never know). It's build to last, of course you have got to take care of it but if you do, it will last ya a lifetime. The strap-ns where solid but I've replaced them with some Dunlop Straploks! This is a little workhorse you can depend on, I would use this without a backup but just always bring one just in case! // 10

Overall Impression: To sum it all up I can say that this guitar is perfect for my style of music, rock, emo, punk. It is also very well suited for some blues. Shredders could better find themselves something different. I'v been playing the guitar for quite a few years now and I've own a few guitars... When I play my Gibson Les Paul Classic and then I play the same thing on the Epi Les Paul Ultra, you can't almost hear the difference. Due to the hollow spaces in the body the sound is a bit fuller and warmer but still it is a steal for that kind of money. If it was stolen I would buy a new one for sure! Before I've bought this I've compared it with the PRS SE Singlecut. This is also a very good guitar but a bit more pricey and it's just not a Les Paul. // 10

Les Paul Ultra
Reviewed by:
fly4acracka, on march 10, 2011 1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 599

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: I got this about a year ago, I don't when it was made, but was made in some asian country, I forget which one. Someone will prolly rip me but I don't really care where it was made, it feels good in my hands. Its got 22 frets, rosewood fretboard, tune-o-matic bridge, alnico classic and classic plus humbuckers, grover tuners, and gold hardware. The biggest perk is definitely the chambered body, being a smaller guy the lighter weight is awesome, and epi Special II felt like an elephant after playin this everyday. All of these features I found after I already bought it though, I'll admit I wanted it strictly on the sweet sunburst quilted top, gorgeous guitar in my opinion. // 9

Sound: I play lots of classic rock, Zeppelin and Hendrix mostly. This guitar is perfectly suited for me. I've got a Fender Mex Strat, and this replaced it as my num 1 as soon as I got it. The Bridge pickup dimed out sounds great for that page ripping tone, roll back the volume and it cleans up nicely. I don't use pedals at all, as of yet, just adjust tone and volume on guitar, with the neck pickup tone dimed and volume at 3-4 you get a great acoustic/slightly crunchy tone perfect for the beginning of over the hills, then just flip to Bridge and you're at max gain for the verses. Only thing I want to add is coilsplitting, for max Zep tone ability. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: Plays great right out of the box, just lowered the Bridge a bit to suit my liking. Only thing i noticed upon inspection is that the volume/tone knobs aren't all lined up. One turned all the way up might say 10 another 6, you could take the time to line them up if youve got ocd or too much time, but just turn it until it sounds right. // 8

Reliability & Durability: As soon as I got it this is my numero uno. After a year of playin everyday, hardware and finish still look great. Everyone comments on its looks. The grover tuners work great and this thing is seemingly always in tune, compared to my Strat which I need to tune up everyday just about. I'd definitely recommend this guitar to someone who wants a great Les Paul at a fraction of the price. Best epi in my opinion although I've never played an Ultra-II. // 10

Overall Impression: If you're looking for a classic rock guitar, you probably want a Les Paul or a Strat. For the price along with tone, features, and looks, I love my choice and recommend you do the same. Like I said I play lots of Zep, no surprise why I bought this, it looks like Pages, sort of. And its lighter than any other Les Paul I've played, a huge perk for a small guy or skinny guy like me. If someone made the mistake of stealing this I'd be forced to commit murder. The only thing missing is coilsplitting, which I plan to add. Like I said I bought it on a whim and got lucky, looked nice so I bought it, turns out sometimes you can judge a book by its cover... // 9

Les Paul Ultra
Reviewed by:
Shizzster, on april 09, 2007 0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 671.5

Purchased from: L&M

Features: Not sure what year it was made in, I'm guessing 2004 in Japan. 22 medium-jumbo frets. Rosewood fretboard, laminated body, looks to be a maple body/neck, don't know for sure though. Sunburst finish or whatever you want to call it, it's the same as the picture above. typical les paul body, Tune-O-Matic bridge, 2 volume and 2 tone controls, 2 nice humbucker pickups, they have a name but I can't remember, 3-way selector switch, gold hardware. Looks awesome and plays awesome, really nice neck, easy to move your fingers aound fast. I can't remember entirly but I mite have gotten a hardcase with it when I bought it or some kind of deal but I cannot remember for sure. // 8

Sound: Its versatile and can be used for a wide variety of styles including what I play, punk, metal, rock, some emo, classic rock and ska. Pickups sound amazing especially if you play classic rock. Very good for distortion and good for clean. I play it through a Boss ME-50, and then into a Marshall Mg 50 DFX, very versatile I can make it sound like anything. It is not that noisy, of course you will get some feedback if the amp is cranked and your right beside it but other than that it stays nice and quiet. I can get a nice warm distortion out of it as well as a heavy death metal distortion too. It kinda lacks in the clean area, I haven't been able to get a real nice bright clean sound out of it yet, but that could be becasue of my amp. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The setup from the factory was awesome I did not have any problems with it, although the input nut was a little rattely but a good tighten with a rench fixed that for good. I have had it for about 2 years now and the only problem I had was with the strap knobs, they have become loose recently but if you shove a toothpick in there and screw it on good, it will stay. The action was beautiful. Oh yea the golden finish on the hardware has started to tarnish a little around the edges, I'm guessing this is becasue I play it a lot and I also sweat a lot while playing. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This guitar is built to gig and I would definatly play without a backup, it's bin through a few falls not huge ones but has managed to only sustain minor bumps and scratches. The hardware is also beatifull and I do not think it will die on me anytime soon, I have noticed when I'm tuning I hear a slight cranking sound but I haven't had this problem before I think it mite have something to do with the way I put the strings on. As I said before the strap buttons come loose once but a toothpick solved that problem. The finish is beatifull an occasional polish makes it look like new and as I said before the gold finish on the pickups and bridge has started to fade leaving a little silver but it is barely noticable and is from constant playing and sweat, it makes it look cooler. // 8

Overall Impression: It suits the types of music I play which is awesome because I play many diffent styles and it is pretty versatile. I have been playing for around 6 years but have only been really serious for about 2. If this guitar was stolen I would chase the bugger down and shit on his head, it's an amazing guitar for the price. I think I would buy it again unless I saw a cheaper guitar with better pickups which would be very rare in this case. If there is something I love about it, is that it is as light as a feather, something I forogt to mention earlier, I have to say I hate nothing about this guitar. The only thing I dislike about it is that it can be dented so easily, I hate being uncarefull lol. I was comparing it to Standard Epiphone Les Pauls but this baby felt so comfortable and was much lighter, plus the bundle of better hardware and pickups then the standards. If your looking for a les paul and your on a budget this is the way to go, just pay a little more for the Ultra becasue it's definatly worth it instead of getting a Standard. // 8

Les Paul Ultra
Reviewed by:
qstionauthority, on april 28, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 500

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: First, I will be pointing out some of the worst qualities of this guitar, as the other reviews are all the same. The knobs are crap. They are hard to turn and seem to get a bunch of stuff stuck in them all the time. Epiphone "quality" really shines through when you open up the control cavity. The wires have tons of slack left in them, and are just all over the place. Admittedly, this does not cause any problems until you want to rewire it, but Epiphone's wiring just pales in comparison to Gibson's. Other then that, great guitar. // 8

Sound: Overall, it is very quiet (hum), wide variety of sounds, ranging from a bluesy twang to a thick jazz tone. The bridge pickup is very bright, and brings out pinch harmonics wonderfully. I would stay away from clean with the bridge. I use the neck pickup for clean all the time. It sounds similar to middle position, but with less twang. It handles distortion very nicely. Roll back the tone knob for a hollow-body jazz tone. The middle position is my personal favorite. It sounds very twangy, and is great for everything, yes, everything. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: Perfect condition, no problems here. May I just say that the top is beautiful- on mine. I've seen some really ugly ones with tons of yellow in the middle, and a touch of red on the edges. Make sure you see a picture if you buy it online. I was a little worried when the pickups got all dirty, but I just put some rubbing alcohol on them and they were like little golden mirrors. The jack fell into the guitar once because it wasn't tightened enough, but I just got it out and tightened the hell out of it. It's not going anywhere now. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I think this guitar will be able to handle any gig. The finish seems like it's here to stay, I've had it for about a year and a half now, with absolutely no wear. I've dropped it many times, but it has never chipped or anything. // 10

Overall Impression: I play basically everything, and I think this is the best guitar for that style. It is extremely versatile if you think about it. The only thing it might not be able to do is, actually it does do everything. If it were stolen or lost, I would definitely be bummed. However you can get a used Gibson SG for 500 bucks, so I would probably buy that. // 9

Les Paul Ultra
Reviewed by:
ma_tt11, on october 01, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: C$ 700

Purchased from: Blue Mountain Music

Features: This guitar was made in korea, and features a chambered mahogany body, cherry burst quilted maple top. It has a 24.75" scale length, nut width of 1.65", 22 medium jumbo frets and a rosewood fretboard. One thing that separates this Les Paul from the others, is the shadow nanomag acoustic pickup located after the 22nd fret, Alnico classic plus humbucking pickups, controlled by 2 volume and master tone knobs. The fourth controls the nanomag pickup, with a 3-band eq located on the back of the guitar. // 9

Sound: I play a vary wide range of musical genres, and it seems to suit all well. Playing though a Line6 spider allows flexibility, but the guitar is extremely quiet, even on the highest gain settings. Both warm acoustic sounds, and rich Les Paul tones can be pulled from the guitar, making it a very versatile instrument. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: Guitar was set-up extremely well, no fret buzz until tuning was dropped from Standard to drop-c, holds nearly every tuning very well though. Even though the frets did buzz, the noise was not heard through the amp, so it was not extremely noticeable. Pickups were adjusted fine, no adjustments needed. Great action, just how I like it. No visible flaws, although there was a small crack in the finish when the pick guard was removed (very small) and unnoticeable with the pick guard on. // 8

Reliability & Durability: This guitar is very solid, and appears as though it will last quite a while. I'd definitely gig with it. Purchased strap locks, more out of preference, the stock ones aren't bad, but I'd rather be safe than sorry! Finish seems to be durable, it's been knocked a few times, no chips dents or scratches yet. // 8

Overall Impression: It's great for any type of music. I've been playing for almost 3 years, and it blows my original guitar out of the water in terms of quality and playability. It easily competes with higher end guitars. If it were lost or stolen I would definitely consider getting another! The pictures do not do the finish any justice, and it looks amazing. (note that there are some, of the same model with extremely faded finishes, and lower quality flame tops, compared to the one I own) so be careful if you're considering buying one only for that! I browsed several music stores before I found this, and love it to death. Might look at putting in some classic Gibson pickups, for a more Vintage tone, but that again, is personal preference! // 9

Sound: When I got this guitar I was really into playing rock. Stuff like ac/dc, randy rhoads stuff, led zeppelin. Classics. it's a les paul. It sounds great doing practically everything. Now I play heavier stuff and the guitar still sounds great. I play out of a Line 6 spider III with an rp-80 effects pedal (the effects aren't all that good, a Boss ds-1, a Boss metal zone and a Dunlop wah. the les paul has a full sounds no buzz. Sounds great even after a year I still love the guitar. It sounds great with a meatl setting, clean tone and the fuzz is awesome. You can really get a wide variety of sounds. whatever you play this guitar can handle. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: I got the guitar at long and mcquade and the only thing I had a problem with was the action. It wasn't the greatest. Slightly high near the twelveth fret but yah not that bad. The neck pickup I had to adjust to be closer to the string once or twice but that's about it. I would really love to change them to EMG 81 60's one day. I love the finish. This guitar has an eye catching finish. My friend called it a cheeto Orange. The back and the neck are a bright Orange that looks really cool. I love playing the un-finished neck. Now I just can't buy a guitar without an un-finished neck it feels amazing. I play this thing a lot on stage and people have commented saying it looks great. Real flashy. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I've had this thing for a while. I've dropped it a bunch scratched it with pliers when changing the strings even re-finished the 19th fret. The guitar still looks great. I will say though that some of the gold hardware loos like it's starting to fade. The grovers are anyway, and I would want to change the alnico's to EMG so the guitar would really sing. I really love this guitar and use it for lots og things. it's a really great guitar. My friend had an Epiphone Les Paul Standard it was black and he kept it in a gig-bag and one day after brining it home from school we found the neck near the headstock slashed and almost completely off. We didn't know why but maybe les pauls in general are prone to accidents. I've heard a lot of stories of gibsons and Epiphone les paul necks getting chipped or snapped off somehow but as for me no problems so far. Thank God. // 9

Overall Impression: I really love this guitar. This was the guitar that made me fall in love with les pauls all over again. I don't play with a pick guard and after taking it off I fell in love with the guitar again because I got to see more of the beautiful quilt-top finish. This guitaris up there with my DKMG and sounds maybe even better. it's a great les paul for the price just as good as those Gibson studio models or the Gibson vixen or bfg. I would buy this guitar again if I lost it (how would I do that? ) or if it got stolen which I doubt it ever will! the only thing I wich is that epiphones quality was up there with the american made guiitars but it's getting there. Epiphone recently upped there price on most of there guitar so this ones up to $660 US online or $800 canadian at Long and mcquade. I love this thing. it's a real great guitar. One of the only good sounding affordable epiphones. // 9

Les Paul Ultra
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on may 12, 2010 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 700

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: made in 2007 in Korea, 22 jumbo frets rosewood fretboard, mahogany neck. Solid Maple top, mahogany body, gloss body, but satin finished neck. 2 volume and 2 tone controls, 3 way selector, 2 humbuckers, and grover non locking tuners. The parts may not be the best, but they form a great little guitar. // 8

Sound: This guitar is great for almost any style of music, I play anything from blues to metal, and it suits it all perfectly (with the proper pedals of course). However, I play mostly heavy rock, and use a metal distortion pedal through my Vox valvetronics ad50vt. When I play ac/dc songs, the sound fits so perfectly that I actually need to stop playing to make sure that it is not JUST the song playing. Yes, it does fit so well that you cannot tell whether you are actually playing or not. The only tihing I have a problem with is there is a slight buzz, which is normal for most guitars, and you can neutralize this by messing around with your frequency settings on your amp, or effects pedal. This guitar plays VERY well for all kinds of music, ut I have only thorougly tested it for heavy rock, and its amazing. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: this guitar was set up very well, it was flawless, except for one minor detail, one of the tone knobs was angled by a few degrees, which is bearly noticable, but other than that, it was flawless, however, after almost 3 years of wear, the gold hardware is starting to come off, there is a slight annoying rattle that seems to be coming from one of the tuning keys, or inside the neck, other than this, it is holding together very well. // 8

Reliability & Durability: This guitar can definently withstand live playing with ease, it has great sound, and will sound great at high volumes. The hardware itself seems to be holding together very well, except, one of the tuning keys has a slight rattle in it when you shake the guitar, and the gold plating is startign to wear off as well, but other than that, it is doing very well. I can DEFINENTLY depend on this thing, I have not found a Gibson that can out play it, and yes, I would use it on a gig without a backup, but it never hurts to have a few more ultras. The strap buttons sometimes let soft leather straps slip off, so be sure to always have a good grip on your guitar, or get a locking strap // 8

Overall Impression: This is a great guitar, and I would recommend it to anybody, it is great for its price, and can withstand SO much damage. I am soon getting a Fender American Deluxe, and many people have asked me "will you still play your epi?" and the answer to that is a firm yes. The epi may not be as good of quality as the fender, but it is still a beautiful guitar, a nice playing guitar, and honestly, still one of the best I have ever played, it even out does most gibsons I have tried. I have been playing for 11 years, I have a Peavey Raptor plus, Ibanez soundgear, Yamaha Acoustic (I forgot the model), a Fender highway one, a Martin Acoustic (I forgot the model)and an old Squier tele. // 9

Les Paul Ultra
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on august 04, 2011 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: $ 650

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: I would guess that this guitar was made in 2008? I'm not quite sure. It was also made in Korea, I'm pretty sure. It has 22 frets, 24.75" scale. Set hard maple nack (satin finish) with rosewood fret board. Quilted maple top (faded cherry sunburst). Body-contoured and single cutaway, chambered body (very light weight). Tune-O-Matic bridge. There's a 3-way selector, top position is for the neck pickup, middle for both, and bottom for bridge. 4 knobs. 2 for volume, 2 for tone. Alnico Classic and Classic Plus humbuckers. Grover tuners. No accessories included. All gold hardware. I wouldn't change any of these features even if I could. 10/10. 5 gold stars. The whole 9 yards. // 10

Sound: When I went out to get my first guitar, I knew that I would end up playing a wide variety of music, and I do. The Bridge pickup is great for playing high tone distortion and the neck pickup is perfect for playing thicker and clearer notes. The neck pickup stands out most to me when I play higher note. It's got a very distinct sound to it. I just use a Fender Frontman 25R, pretty basic stuff. The only unwanted noise it makes is the lower frets on the 6th strings buzz a little bit, but it's not very significant. Like I said before, The neck pickup give the warm, rich tone, and teh Bridge pickup is great for distortion and high pitch/tone. This guitar has a very wide variety. I would reccoment it to anyone. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: I didn't change any of the action or string guage. It was low enough for me to play fast solos/riffs, and high enough for me to still play slower open chord songs without fret buzz. I only raised the pickup close enough so that where ever I played, the strings wouldn't touch them. The only flaws that I found were there were a few tiny dimples in the finish and the edge of the finish looked like the finish was trimmed too deeply in the cutaway. Like, there is a clear coating of something over the finish, and there were the flaws in that. They weren't actually in the finish its self. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Oh yeah. This can definitly withstand live playing. My grandfather accidentally sprayed alot water on the humbuckers and it didn't even phase them. This was probably just my fault for playing with it too much, but in the 3-way selector, a wire came loose and it wouldn't do anything when I switched to the neck pickup. After it re-tightened the Switch though, it worked again. The strap buttons are very solid, no problems there. Yes, it's very dependable. I don't think that the finish will come off without a fight. You would have to really scratch it up with like a mace to ruin the finish. // 10

Overall Impression: Like I've said before, I play almost every style, and It hasn't let me down yet. I have been playing for 4 years, and I've had this guitar for 3 of them. Before this I had a Squire Telecaster. It was pretty good for being $150 or so. I own that, and a Dean Edge bass which I bough for $130 used about 3 weeks ago (also very good for the price). Nope, I walked into the store, picked this up and bough it. I didn't even consider anything else. I would probably buy it again, but I migh buy something else just to experiment with other styles and brands. I love everything about it, don't hate anything, and don't have any favourite features. I do with sometimes that Gibson made guitars like this! :) // 10

Les Paul Ultra
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on november 25, 2011 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: C$ 700

Purchased from: L&M

Features: This guitar was made in China, on the back of the headstock it says handcrafted in China. It has 22 frets, I'm thinking they're jumbo, because they're the biggest I've ever played yet. Solid top, it can definitely take a beating. Both the neck and body are Mahogany. The finish is a quilted top. The body style is Les Paul, if that's a body style, if not, I don't know. The bridge is a Tune-O-Matic bridge. Passive electronics. 2 volume and 2 tone knobs are given, what I don't like it how high the knobs are, there is a huge space between the body and the bottom of the knob. 3 way selector switch is also included. Two Alnico humbucker pickups. Gold hardware. Grover non- locking tuners. I didn't get anything extra from L&M. // 9

Sound: Let me say right away, I play worship rock. I bet you thought there was no such thing. This guitar suits my style really well, I do alot of palm muting. So I love the bridge, although I wish certain things on this bridge weren't so sharp. I practice with a Fender Frontman 25R and my effect pedal is a DigiTech RP255. When I play at church, I go through the system, Bose sound system, and the on- stage monitors, I think they're Yorktown. This guitar is very quiet, minimal to no hum, I generally play with this guitar in the middle selector switch setting. Depending on where you place your switch, it could be bright, or slightly distorted. This guitar can basically make any sound, I'm sure if Tom Morello had this guitar, he would perform all his fancy guitar magic with it. I am not Tom, I just play the thing.
Let me say this guitar is amazing, it will last me a lifetime. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar did get set up properly at the factory, I like the action, but L&M includes a complimentary set-up, so I'll use that to raise the action, and of course, new strings. I'm going to keep the pickups in the configuration they are, I don't mind the placement. There are no flaws with this guitar, a vey scratched up pickguard, but rather the pick guard, than the stunning finish. I did not appreciate the Epiphone stickers placed on the pickups, a great deal of difficulty to take them off, and now the imprint of the letters from the stickers are on the pickups themselves. When I go to get the guitar set up, I hope L&M removes this imperfection. // 7

Reliability & Durability: I am not good enough to gig quite yet, but I must say, it can withstand live playing. The hardware will last a lifetime, the strap buttons seem to be fairly solid, although, they seem to allow very soft leather to slip off. I may have to get strap locks, just in case.
I can depend on this guitar, I however would not go to Sunday service without a backup, this guitar being my backup, after I set up my Ibanez SAS36QM-CBS. The finish seems very good quality, it won't wear off, but than again, it might. // 9

Overall Impression: I said before, I play worship rock, and you know, just figure out how interesting songs are played, never really serious. I have played for 10 years, I'm certainly not the best, fact is, sometimes it may sound as if I'm just a beginner. I used to play classical guitar, than I tried playing bass, that didn't work out very well. I own multiple guitars, my Ibanez SAS36QM-CBS is amazing, love the paint job, I will be going to polish the body, restring it, set the truss rod to drop D, so I can play Skillet songs. I also want to install a Floyd Rose locking trem on the Ibanez, I think it would look and sound amazing.
I wish I had asked how to take the Epiphone stickers off the pickups without the words rubbing off on the pickups. If this guitar was stolen, I don't think I would buy a new one, just because I have grown on Ibanez, I love their gear. I love that this guitar was on sale when I bought it, I love its sound, its appearance. I hate the stickers that came with this guitar, they rubbed off on my pickups. I compared this guitar to a $275 and a $585 Epiphone Les Paul, this guitar is lighter, sounds better, and is just an all around better guitar. I wish this guitar came with a hard shell case, so it doesn't get damaged while traveling. // 10

Les Paul Ultra
Reviewed by:
nissan350zguy, on january 11, 2012 0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Price paid: C$ 420

Purchased from: Fromager Music

Features: This is probably the most beautiful guitar I have ever owned. It came with the tune-o-matic bridge, 22 frets and a fairly small neck which is great for jumping all over it. Mine is the flame top with the bone edging which always looks great. I've gotten tons of compliments about it on and off stage. I really enjoy the chambered body which makes it super light and easy to use. // 9

Sound: I play a bunch of styles of music such as blues, metal, classic and hard rock. I use a Line 6 Spider IV 30 watt amp which has almost all of the effects I need. On clean settings it sounds heavenly with the pickup selector on the the middle, the bridge on 6-7 and the neck on 10 for a fairly full sound. As soon as you put the distortion on this guitar absolutely screams. Soloing on it is awesome and playing rhythm is great with a real punchy sound. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: I got the guitar at a dent and scratch sale so it had a small chip at the top of the headstock but other than that it's flawless finish wise. It does have a slight string buzz on the low E and A stings but I'm going to get it set up properly this summer so hopefully that fixes it. The look of this guitar is freaking gorgeous with the flame top. The back of the neck is unfinished which I find is easier to slide and go across. // 8

Reliability & Durability: This guitar will definitely work live and hold it's own. I've taken it to a few gigs with no problems what so ever. The strap buttons work quite well. I had a Epiphone Korina Flying V before this and I would use this one for my first guitar no question. But I would have kept the V for back up with much punchier songs. // 9

Overall Impression: I've been playing this guitar for almost a year now and it's an absolute joy to play. I love the looks of this guitar with the flame top and the gold hardware. It made me fall in love with Les Pauls. I never really liked them before getting this guitar but I would definitely get another one of these in an instant. I would highly recommend this guitar to anyone looking for a fairly good priced guitar with an amazing sound. // 9

Les Paul Ultra
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on february 24, 2012 0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Price paid: C$ 495

Purchased from: Long and Mcquade

Features: This guitar was made in China, a sticker on the headstock say handcrafted in China. 22 frets. The neck is Rosewood. The body wood is Mahogany, with a flamed maple top. The fretboard is maple I believe, but I'm not 100% sure. The body style is Les Paul. The bridge is a Tune-O-matic style bridge. Passive electronics. Two tone and two volume controls are given. Grover non-locking tuners. I did not receive any accessories. // 9

Sound: I play rock, this guitar suits my style really well. I am running this guitar through a DigiTech RP255, and a Fender Frontman 25R. Also a tuner. This guitar isn't extremely noisy. Lots of variety can be made with this guitar. In the neck position or rhythm it has a nice rich sound, good for intros to songs, solos around the higher frets, and some distortion. In the middle position, it sounds good, I don't know how to describe it, I usually keep it in the middle position. In the treble position, I play it with some distortion, it has a nice full sound. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: I think this guitar was set up fairly well at the factory, ad must have been played alot at the store before I bought it. Since it was out of tune. The action is great, I'm going to leave it as is, just get new strings. The pickups are adjusted very well, I might bring the neck pickup a bit higher. Everything is done properly. There are some dark spots on the white edge around the guitar, those might just be dirt build-up. The pickup selector is a bit noisy, but it doesnt't matter to me. // 7

Reliability & Durability: I love this guitar, but in its current state, with the strap buttons, it wont survive live playing. The hardware should last, but not the strap buttons. I will be getting strap locks. The finish is very good, it is not easily scratched, also with that pickguard, scratching the finish is even harder. // 8

Overall Impression: This guitar is a great match for my style of music. I researched this guitar, I felt like I knew more about it than the salesman. I have played guitar fr 8 years, with this guitar, I have gotten better. I wish I had asked how to keep the gold hardware polished, and asked how to intonate it. Basically just maintenance questions. I compared it to some cheaper Epiphones, this one obviously one out, it was originally $700, but I got a good deal. I wish this guitar had an easier access plug. // 9

Les Paul Ultra
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on april 05, 2012 0 of 1 people found this review helpful

Price paid: C$ 492

Purchased from: Long and Mcquade

Features: Not sure what year this guitar was made, but I could care less about that. It was "handmade in China". Not totally sure if that's true or not. This guitar has 22 medium jumbo frets, which are made of Rosewood. This guitar is a carved top. The neck is made of Rosewood. The finish is Quilted Maple. Les Paul style body, which I love. The bridge style is Locktone Stopbar/Tune-O-Matic system. Passive electronics, which sound amazing. Two volume and two tone knobs are given. 3- way selector switch. This guitar has an H-H pickup configuration. The brand is probably Epiphone's Alnico Humbucker Pickups. The tuners are Grover non-locking tuners. I did not get anything from the guys at L&M, until Christmas, when I got a solid guitar case, that is made for the specific make. // 10

Sound: I play a hard rock style of music, often times I play at my church, but I play a heavier style most of the time. I am running this guitar at home through a DigiTech RP255 effects processor, and into a Fender Frontman 25R which I have unleashed the full power of, finally. At church I run into the DigiTech RP255, through a Behringer Ultra-G GI-100 DI Box, which is run into a very old mixer, and that controls the Bose Sound System, and the monitors are Yorkville. This guitar is not noisy at all, in fact, it kills our worship leaders Fender Strat any day, and yes, the Fender has Humbuckers. I play this guitar in the middle pickup configuration usually, but sometimes I change it up. This guitar can make any sound you want it to. One can use the 3- way selector switch as a killswitch! This guitar rocks, I will never sell it, or swap anything. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: I don't know about the factory setup, as this was a floor model, so I don't know how many people played it before me. I do know it was out of tune when I picked it up. I was too lazy to tune it, so I made my decision based on a badly out of tune guitar, shoot me. The action is very good. I got it setup at Long and McQuade, they did a fantastic job! Everything is properly matched. The guitar has no flaws, none that I can, or none that an over perfectionist in my church can see. Nothing is wrong, although the gold colour on the hardward is starting to wear away. Nothing is loose. Nothing is wrong, nor ever will be. // 9

Reliability & Durability: With a proper strap or strap locks, yes, this guitar will withstand live playing. With a backup in case you break a string. The hardware feels like it will last a lifetime, and than some. The strap buttons are mediocre, at best. They seem cheap to me. I can definitely depend on this guitar. I would not gig without a backup, you know, in case I break a string, or it drops, due to crappy strap buttons. The finish is great, looks beautiful, but with the pickguard, there are no worries about crazy scratches. // 8

Overall Impression: I play heavy rock, yes this guitar is a perfect match. I play worship rock, this guitar fits in nicely sound wise, but apparently is "too flashy" coming from a lady in my church with two grand pianos which are easily 8 grand each. I own an Ibanez SAS36QM-CBS, which I really like. I also own a Seagull SWS Maritime folk body acoustic guitar. I wish I had asked to polish it properly. I would buy the Ultra 2, which has a Nanomag pickup, I want to emulate an acoustic guitar tone with my electric, that would be cool. I love the whole guitar, not a huge fan of the strap buttons, or the gold paint rubbing off, and the Epiphone stickers on the pickups, which caused the words to rub off onto the pickup themselves. // 8

Is it really light or are you making it up? I thought that one of the contants with the Les Paul was to be heavy being part of the sound make up and its purely logically made design? I myself have an Epiphone Sandard and it weighs alot more than most other guitars I've played with. I don't mean to accuse I just wondered if they really have fiddled with it that much.
Nice review by the way

I own this guitar and i love it. The best Epiphone LP on the market. I have an Ibanez GAX75, an eko vintage hollowbody, an sg and a fender strat and this one beats them all. The chambered body and contoured back make it nice and light compared to other les pauls that are all solid. it is a bit neck heavy due to the light body but i have since gotten used to it. the color and hardware make this what it is. all gold tuners and bridge and stopbar as well as all gold plated humbuckers. and the flame top color is gorgeous. I got a great deal on this guitar paying only $400. so its well worth the money. if you can find one to play somewhere then you should. i have a crate and a marshall cab and it sound amazing thru both. Epiphone you have made a standout product this time!

Yea I can tell you for certain even the Epiphone versions of LP are heavy, they might not be made from mahog. but I'm pretty sure quite a few are. Though I've never had the chance to play a Gibson LP I'm reassured almost weekly that there isnt much different between them apart from perhaps an odd mistake or difference in the finish or the quality of electricals. Epi LP's are not to be seen as lower in the chain than Gibson LP's!

These reviews are getting more and more pointless, practically every reviewer gives there guitar a perfect or close to perfect score, regardless of the guitar. The only way to really find out if a guitar is good "for you" is to go to a shop and play one..

to the comment regarding epiphones not being made out of mahogany...
I have a beautiful Epiphone Les Paul which plays better than all but one gibson I have ever played (and there have been a few!) The body is a solid block of mahogany. I havn't yet played on LP Ultra but by the sounds of it, it is an immense guitar. I particularly like the idea of a thinner neck, it's easier on tired hands after hours of rockin!
peace out

d_kRAMMER wrote:
Yea I can tell you for certain even the Epiphone versions of LP are heavy, they might not be made from mahog. but I'm pretty sure quite a few are. Though I've never had the chance to play a Gibson LP I'm reassured almost weekly that there isnt much different between them apart from perhaps an odd mistake or difference in the finish or the quality of electricals. Epi LP's are not to be seen as lower in the chain than Gibson LP's!

sorry but i HAVE to say thats 100% crap! I dont see how a comment like this can be made when you;ve never played a Gibo LP. iv got a Gibo LP standard LE and a Epiphone LP Custom BB...and put it this way.....i have absolutly NO use for the Epi....they feel completly different to play.....the Epi has a rediculasly flat fret board compared to the Gibo....and as for tone....well the extra 1000 basically speaks for its self....worth every penny!!!
Seriously lads....if you want a beefy LP DONT go for the Epi....just save a bit more and get a guitar with bags a character!
Beleive it!

I own all 3 of the Zakk Wylde customs (Epi's of course) and let me tell you the Ultra is light. The chambered, semi-hollow body, thinner neck make it so. It's designed more for the blues player as it has a deeper tone (due to body characteristics). Metalheads would fare better with an LP Custom.....IMHO

U krack me up Johnny-Rocks: Now back to Epi's. If you're looking for quality, go for an Elitist model. The quality is as good as (if not better) than some Gibson LP's, yet costs 1/2 the price (my ZW's with actives were cheaper). For thrashin, get a "GOTH LP", upgrade to actives (costs less than a Custom).....LIFE IS GOOD!

haha BC rich
I played my cousins warlock and i will never buy a BC rich.....but thats probably cause i dont play metal
bottom line
each person likes different things in guitars
so there is no such thing as a perfect guitar

First of all any realy guitarist would know that Gibsons and epiphones should not be compared because gibsons kick ass and epiphones don't. also SolaceMarine Said theres not perfect guitar well i think other wise the perfect guitar is the gibson les paul custom bottom line.

redarrow wrote:
d_kRAMMER wrote:
Yea I can tell you for certain even the Epiphone versions of LP are heavy, they might not be made from mahog. but I'm pretty sure quite a few are. Though I've never had the chance to play a Gibson LP I'm reassured almost weekly that there isnt much different between them apart from perhaps an odd mistake or difference in the finish or the quality of electricals. Epi LP's are not to be seen as lower in the chain than Gibson LP's!
sorry but i HAVE to say thats 100% crap! I dont see how a comment like this can be made when you;ve never played a Gibo LP. iv got a Gibo LP standard LE and a Epiphone LP Custom BB...and put it this way.....i have absolutly NO use for the Epi....they feel completly different to play.....the Epi has a rediculasly flat fret board compared to the Gibo....and as for tone....well the extra 1000 basically speaks for its self....worth every penny!!!
Seriously lads....if you want a beefy LP DONT go for the Epi....just save a bit more and get a guitar with bags a character!
Beleive it!

I don't see how you can say that when you have never played my guitar! I have an epi LP and it is the nicest guitar I have ever played. I set it up myself to suit my custom needs, and with a page style super low action (raised for playing slide) the sustain is still about 9 seconds! And if you think that the higher the action the longer the sustain then I think when you talk about an epi you should treat it with the same respect as you would a gibson or a fender.
The playability of epi LP is immense even on the cheaper models and even for an advanced guitarist you get you (not alot of) moneys worth.

lol people really like to argue , all i know is that i have this guitar and i have had it for a bout 2 years now, it sounds awsome, and looks awsome and has really nice playability, it cost me about 800 bucks which isnt bad. the only problems ive had with it are the strap knobs gettin loose which was easily fixed and the selector switch nut somehow got striped and the switch eneded up in the guitar (im guessing someone jumped on it while it was in the case or something i really dont noe ), it also got loose prettey often before this but i found another nut and tightend it real good and havent had a problem since. when i got it the jack was loose and kept coming loose but it just needed a reall good tighten havent had a problem since the action was perfect when i got it. awsome guitar for the money, cheers.

Ive had the same problem with the strap knobs coming loose but it was fixed for free if you call gibson and. The screw the strap knob near the neck stripped the wood but again it was fixed. This really is an amazing guitar for the price i got mine for 500 dollars new

Shizzster wrote:
lol people really like to argue , all i know is that i have this guitar and i have had it for a bout 2 years now, it sounds awsome, and looks awsome and has really nice playability, it cost me about 800 bucks which isnt bad. the only problems ive had with it are the strap knobs gettin loose which was easily fixed and the selector switch nut somehow got striped and the switch eneded up in the guitar (im guessing someone jumped on it while it was in the case or something i really dont noe ), it also got loose prettey often before this but i found another nut and tightend it real good and havent had a problem since. when i got it the jack was loose and kept coming loose but it just needed a reall good tighten havent had a problem since the action was perfect when i got it. awsome guitar for the money, cheers.

You paid way to much money. I got mine for a little less than $500 at Guitar Center. It's an o.k les paul, I prefer the standards though.

I loved how it felt comnpared to the standrads, I bought it with canadian currency though, so it would be cheaper at a Guitar Center, theres none where i live . Im pretty sure i got a hardcase with mine included in the price but cant remember, gotta find the recipt.

Howe-n-Harrison wrote:
uno why its ****ing light, becuz its an epiphone, there not made with mahogany liek les pauls

The reason why this one's so light is because they took a sodding great chuck out of the back of it, which took about a third of the weight of it out. The Epi lp standards are about 9 lbs weight, this is nearly 6.
and BC Rich? the only difference between those & a gibson are the extra daft cutaways (like the mockingbird - take the extra bits away, and that's an LP. The warlock? The horns are borrowed from an SG anyways). Still, I got hold of this thing, first guitar I had the balls to try out at a guitar store, Mighty sound - Hah it dissapeared half an hour after I played it, but I'll say that's more the guitar.

I bought one of these at the weekend and it absolutely kills the Gibson LP studio.
I'd actually go as far as saying this sounds better than the Gibson LP Std, but obviously the Gibson has slightly better build quality.
I've always hated epiphone, so it's hard to believe they can make a guitar this good.. it's incredible!

These reviews are great I think I might get one of these. I checked the internet andt he reason why it is so light is because a) its ollow and b) its made of laminated mahogany not solid mahogany and c) there is a body contour that takes away some weight

It screwed up my review, please refer to this for the "Sound" section.
Bridge=trebly...
Neck=I use this for clean all the time
Middle=My personal favorite...
I know people are going to say it wasn't helpful because the sound section is screwed up. I hope they read this first

LP ultra is different from the standard in both Gibson and Epiphone so you can't really compare them too heavily. However, in my opinion, ultra is a very good deal. For its 400$-700$ cost you get an amazingly great sounding guitar on both pickups with a much lighter weight. I use this over standards, and other kinds of electrics like strats and definately that bc rich

iplayed it...its ok....but if you really want a decent guitar get it...and another thing.WHY WOULD AN EPIPHONE LES PAUL NOT HAVE MAHAGONY.IF IT SAYS ITS MAHOGANY ITS MAHOGONY.I HAVE A BLACK BEAUTY. ITS MAHAGONY.IF THEY R LIEING THEN THEY COULD GET SUED FOR FALSE ADVERTISEMENT

I've actually had this guitar for a while now. its a pretty decent guitar...i replaced the default pick-ups with zakk wylde EMG's. because of that, it sounds 10x better than before. not only on overdrive but on clean and everything else too. so those that dont like the sound of it can just customize it a little bit.

My singer plays this model. It sounds good and everthing but the craftmenship is poor. After about 8 monthes of playing the gold on the pickups and machine heads has withered and now its like a silver plus the switch has gone faulty and the nut that holds the neck strap has poped off. this guitar is nowhere near a 9.2. ide say 6.5 to 7.

tristan_deity wrote:
My singer plays this model. It sounds good and everthing but the craftmenship is poor. After about 8 monthes of playing the gold on the pickups and machine heads has withered and now its like a silver plus the switch has gone faulty and the nut that holds the neck strap has poped off. this guitar is nowhere near a 9.2. ide say 6.5 to 7.

LOL, the gold will wear off on any guitar over time, how the **** is that bad craftsmanship?

this is a nice looking guitar and definitely a good deal for the 500 i paid for it at best buy, but it does have some flaws. this is not a gig guitar at all, good for session/studio play but this guitar cannot handle rigorous playing for extended periods of time. the strap buttons are very suspect, not at all heavy-duty/touring quality, i've already had one come completely off and had to rescrew it further down the body. this is a beautiful looking and sounding guitar, but if you're serious about playing in front of more than the mirror you need to go get a gibson.

I'd rather not accidentally impale myself with my guitar. Anywho, choice of guitar is up to the musician, not you. I prefer a warm Les Paul overdrive sound. But dont get me wrong, a BC Rich "Metal up ur Ass" sound is fun to tinker around with too.

Cheeseman Jay wrote:
It looks really nice. 1 question; would it be seen as cheap/sacrilige to own an Epiphone Les Paul before a Gibson? It might sound stupid but I have some really tight-arsed friends.

Well Gibsons are pretty damn expensive so unless u can afford 1, get an Epiphone first. Besides some Epiphones are even better than Gibsons. Well sometimes but Epiphones have a detachable neck which is nice and the frets feel smoother along the side of the neck.

grapist wrote:
i love how ultimate-guitar is full of 12 year olds loving their 500$ guitars and rating them straight 10s because they got "da br00tz".

well, I'm not 12yrs old and mommy didn't buy my guitar...I'm a huge fan of Epi les pauls too! I love my ultra! bought it used at GC for $350 and it was set-up perfectly; the fit and finish is also very nice! I rate it above Gibson LP studios for sure! The worn brown and cherry models from Gibson aren't as nice as my ultra! I played those cheap gibby studios and really for the money I'll take an epiphone...Gibsons are over rated and over priced!!! get a highend epiphone and use the money you saved for a killer amp!

dimebag_420 wrote:
Onram wrote:
your all gay pick up a bcrich and play a mans guitar
**** Yeah

Is this trolling? BC Rich guitars are just to try and make you LOOK more heavy than everyone else and the majority of their own designs are too over the top.I play a lot of heavy metal but I don't see the appeal, I'm fine playing my Squire Tele and Fender Jag (:

People stop this stupid Gibson vs Epiphone debate! Epiphone is a cheaper version of Gibson so it's like a modeling amp. It can come close but it's never better than the amp it's modeling because... well, it's modeling that amp. Same with these guitars. They are like modeling Gibson's guitars. But yeah... They are in different price range so you shouldn't compare them. It's the same as if you compared a Marshall MG and Marshall JCM. It just makes you look like a noob when you say that "this thing is sooo good, it is way better than a 5000$ Gibson!" No it's not, get over it! But it's not meant to be. But that kind of review just aren't helpful. 10/10 reviews just make people facepalm and not even bother to read the review.

MaggaraMarine wrote:
People stop this stupid Gibson vs Epiphone debate! Epiphone is a cheaper version of Gibson so it's like a modeling amp. It can come close but it's never better than the amp it's modeling because... well, it's modeling that amp. Same with these guitars. They are like modeling Gibson's guitars. But yeah... They are in different price range so you shouldn't compare them. It's the same as if you compared a Marshall MG and Marshall JCM. It just makes you look like a noob when you say that "this thing is sooo good, it is way better than a 5000$ Gibson!" No it's not, get over it! But it's not meant to be. But that kind of review just aren't helpful. 10/10 reviews just make people facepalm and not even bother to read the review.

Fully agree. However, we have to admit Epis are utterly underestimated, not compared to Gibsons, but to other entry-level guitars. They are good workhorses and, ocasionally, some interesting models appears in their range. I myself am pretty impressed by Epi's hollowbody line: it's better than most of Ibanez's similar range, at fairly decent prices. I'd recomand an Epi over any Dean or Jackson entry-level, not to mention Ibanez's GIO Series.

Since the epi les aul tributes and prophecys came out, the ultras have no reason to live. Get an epi les paul std for half the price or just pay $100 and get a trib...for the extra hundred you will have gibson usa pickups (huge upgrade that would cost you $250-$300 aftermarket) plus a case easily wrth $100, plus straploks.